


Without A Hitch

by iwilltry_tocarryon



Category: Revolution (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-17 04:32:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3515489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwilltry_tocarryon/pseuds/iwilltry_tocarryon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Priscilla and Aaron decide to get remarried, opting for Charlie to be the maid of honor, Bass to be the best man, and Frank of all people to be the one to marry them. Of course, Frank doesn't realize he's signing up to marry Priscilla and Aaron at first, only offering when he thinks it's two very different people. (I really like Frank's character so I just wanted to incorporate him into a story!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Things had, for the most part, calmed down after the war with the patriots. Of course there were still everyday issues and problems to deal with as they settled into town and went about their lives. But for them it was as normal as things were going to get.

Currently they were gathered at the local bar, one Charlie often helped out at during her free time. She enjoyed the atmosphere, how joyful and relaxed everyone seemed to be. Of course, they were all drunk, but at least there weren’t too many fights. She had dealt with enough fighting to last a lifetime.

She wasn’t working tonight but Aaron had asked her to stop by, which was vague and peculiar for him. She didn’t think anything of it though until she walked through the doors to see everyone else hovering near a booth in the corner. Then she started to wonder. 

“What’s going on?”

Miles shrugged, “beats me, you know Aaron better than the rest of us. I don’t ever understand a single thing that’s going on in that big ass brain of his.”

Charlie looked around to find that everyone was just as confused as Miles. Scanning, her eyes landed on the distinct leather jacket wound around Bass’ solid build.

A red flag waved in Charlie’s mind immediately, even Bass was there. It’s not like Aaron didn’t like him, well he didn’t hate his guts anymore, but this wasn’t usually Bass’ sort of thing. He didn’t do family events, not when they had the possibility of including Rachel. He frequently visited the bar, but most of the time he kept to Miles, or one the offhand occasion Charlie. 

It was always a sticky situation when you combined Bass and Rachel in the same room, which is why no one ever did. This obviously was either really bad news or really good news. Charlie hoped like hell for the latter.

“Oh good you all came.” Aaron let out a puff of relief when he made it over to where they were all congregating.

Bass rolled his eyes, “yeah it took a lot of arm twisting to get us all into a bar filled with booze Staypuft.”

Aaron ignored the dig as usual, turning more to address them all at once when Charlie innocently asked where Priscilla was. “Okay that’s the thing…”

When he inhaled a deep breath and paused Charlie’s mind instantly kicked into overdrive, thinking of all the bad things that could’ve possibly happened. It was always her gut reaction to think of the worst possible scenarios first, but who could really blame her?

“She should be here any minute now, but I wanted all of you guys here because I’m gonna ask her to marry me—“

“Aren’t you already married to her?” Bass couldn’t help the retort that forced itself from his tongue, but he quickly swallowed down any further statements when Charlie sent a menacing glare in his direction.

She was flooded with different emotions; mostly happiness engulfed her body, creating a luminous glow around her. She threw her arms loosely around Aaron who looked nervous and antsy. “Don’t listen to him, I understand why you’re doing this, and I think it’s a great idea. I couldn’t be happier for you two.”

Pulling back from the welcoming warmth of Aaron’s arms, she sent a reassuring smile that penetrated through his body, instantly calming his nerves. “Thanks kiddo, it means a lot to me.”

“Ah hell,” Miles groaned, clapping Aaron a little harder on the back than necessary. It was obvious they had been there for awhile and the buzz was kicking in. “What the hell, I’m happy for you too. Out of all of us, you definitely deserve to live a happy life with your crazy ex-nano wife.”

Everyone else couldn’t help but erupt into laughter at Miles’ attempt at being peppy and joyful. Typical Miles fashion wouldn’t be complete without his accessory of sarcasm and badly timed jokes. 

Even Aaron couldn’t help but shortly laugh, though he looked confused. “Thanks…I think.”

Nerves melted away replaced by smooth conversation as they talked for a few minutes. Charlie joined the conversation every now and again, but her eyes often coasted over to where Bass was sitting. The third time she looked over he held her gaze until she was forced to break the connection. 

Opting to focus on the door instead, Charlie’s eyes snapped over in that direction every time it opened. Finally her eyes caught a glimpse of Priscilla kindly smiling in acknowledgement towards her. She turned to Aaron, “alright it’s now or never.”

“I’m thinking that never is sounding good right about now.” Aaron mumbled.

“Don’t be such a baby, you already asked her to marry you once.” Charlie gave him a helpful, literal shove towards Priscilla.

Meeting her halfway, he scraped his sweaty palms against the front of his pants, trying to wipe away his nerves. 

Priscilla’s brows knitted together taking in the sight of everyone else behind him. Her mouth opened, but she never got the chance to ask him what was going on.

All of the sudden he dropped down to one knee and spewed the words out so fast Priscilla couldn’t help but giggle. No one caught one word of English outta that jumbled jargon. 

It didn’t seem to matter for Priscilla. She didn’t have to hear the words to know what he was asking, that much was clear by his current position.

From the moment she said yes she was in Aaron’s arms, basking in the sunshine of happiness shining down on them as everyone else went around to congratulate them in their own way.

After they celebrated with a few congratulatory rounds, Rachel turned to Priscilla. “So, when are you thinking about having the wedding? Fall is right around the corner, that’s always a nice time of year.”

“Fall is lovely, but I don’t know. I don’t think we should wait a long time. There’s no need really, I mean we’re already married so I was just thinking we could have it at the end of this week. That’s plenty of time to plan something small.”

Aaron choked on the liquid lingering in his mouth, coughing a few times. “Really? That should be enough time? Need I remind you that our first wedding took you months to plan and you even brought up the fact that you could’ve used a bit more time?”

“Well things are different now, everything is perfect. Besides that was the first wedding. Everyone knows the second wedding isn’t as extravagant, though this one will be because I’m getting to marry you all over again.”

Unshed tears gathered in Aaron’s eyes, and even Charlie was touched by the sentiment. He nodded, “whatever you want to do is okay by me.”

She nodded, “good then it’s decided. It’ll be Friday.”

Charlie went towards the bar after the announcement had been made, confirming the date. She figured one more round couldn’t hurt them.

Rachel warmly smiled, “that’s wonderful. I’d be glad to help in anyway that I can.”

Priscilla nodded before standing up, “thank you Rachel. I’ll take all the help I can get.” When she ducked out, making a beeline for the bar, everyone else directed their attention back to Aaron who was still reeling in shock. He kept mumbling things about 6 different shades of white, that all looked exactly like white to him.

“Charlie,” Priscilla caught her before she headed back to the table. “I wanted to ask if you would be my maid of honor. I know you don’t know me that well, but it would mean a lot to me and to Aaron if you—“

Charlie cut her off mid ramble to envelope her in a hug before pulling back. “I would be honored, though I’ve never really been to a wedding so I don’t know what all it entails.”

“You just have to show up, wear a dress, and hold my flowers. Oh and make sure I don’t get cold feet and pull a Runaway Bride.” Priscilla’s laughed was fueled even more when Charlie didn’t understand the reference but looked horrified that she had to talk someone into marriage when she herself wasn’t sure about the whole institution. 

“I’m just kidding, well about the last part. The first two things are the only requirement. So what do you say, are you up for the task?”

Charlie grinned, “When have I ever backed down from a challenge?”

It was a silent, unspoken yes that took almost no convincing. Bass however was apprehensive and a completely different story.

“Listen…Monroe I-I wanted to ask you something.”

“No Staypuft I don’t know where to find any strippers for your bachelor party.” It was a joking jab, but almost enough to thwart Aaron from continuing.

“Never mind forget it,” he went to turn around before Bass’ voice rang out.

“Take a joke Staypuft,” he griped.

“Stop calling me that,” he maneuvered his body to face Bass again. “Is ‘Aaron’ really that hard of a name for you to remember?”

He growled, “Well I don’t know, is ‘Bass’ really that hard for your genius brain to say?”

Aaron huffed. “Fine then, Bass, I was wondering…if you might would want to be my best man.”

Even Miles couldn’t choke down his beer, spilling some of the contents on the table before erupting into laughter. Laughter was his first instinct and the only thing he could think to do at the moment. There were no coherent thoughts forming.

Bass wasn’t as amused, but thoroughly confused. “Uh, no offense, but why me?”

Aaron just shook his head. “Beats the hell outta me, but for some reason when I thought about it, I don’t know, you just seemed like a good choice. We might’ve been friends had the blackout not occurred, granted we were in drastically different social circles.”

Miles interjected, “nah I could see that. Bass was a total nerd, he just happened to get hit with a pretty stick.”

“If by nerd you mean I got better grades than you without trying and you’re still bitter about it. Then yeah,” he smugly asserted, letting his impassive mask slip momentarily. He turned back to Aaron letting out a sigh. “Look Stay—Aaron,” he mentally corrected, “I’m probably the worst person to ask. I’m not really gung-ho about weddings in general. Hell Grandpa Joe over there would be a better choice than me.”

“I didn’t ask you because I thought you would be the life of the party or anything. I know who you are, and I’m still asking.”

Bass couldn’t immediately jump on board, not that he was against the idea. In fact he was happy for Aaron. At least someone was going to turn this shit show of an ending into something good. Priscilla was a nice enough person; she reminded him a lot of his mother, friendly but tough. Bass wanted nothing more than to be apart of a family again, and the fact that he was Aaron’s first choice, regardless of all the shit he had done was nice. 

Having a family though, never ended well for Bass. He lost everything and everyone he had the first time around. It was selfish but he didn’t wanna put himself out on the line again. He had been strung up too many times; his body was getting tired, mentally and physically.

Still his mouth started moving before the more rational part of his brain could interject. “What the hell,” he mumbled.

Aaron playfully rolled his eyes, “I’m gonna take that as the most enthusiasm you’re capable of mustering up.”

Probably a good idea because that’s about as much excitement as Bass was able to produce. Of course later on in the week when he realized Charlie was going to be the maid of honor he got a little more excited. He hadn’t even factored that into the equation when he agreed to Aaron’s bizarre request. If it had been Rachel he would’ve backed out, no questions asked. The last thing this wedding needed was a fight, and that’s the only thing that ever came from the two of them. It was bad enough that she would be helping out with the decorating and attending the wedding. He didn’t need to be around her any longer than necessary.

Priscilla needed her help even though it was just going to be a small affair; she still wanted to make it memorable. Luckily for her, controlling and smothering things in decorations were Rachel’s specialties. She was clever; at least this time she was using her creativity for good instead of using it to come up with different ways to stab people when she ran out of weapons. Ways that included screwdrivers to the chest.

The only thing left was to find someone to marry them. That was proving to be more difficult and exhausting than Charlie planned for when she agreed to be the one to do it. She was starting to really dislike weddings.

Bass and Miles were sitting at the bar, their usual spot, when Charlie half frantically stalked right up to their table. Plopping down next to Miles, she took the drink out of his hand, knocking it back, savoring in the feel of her throat igniting as the liquid slid down. 

“Uh, rough day kid?”

She glared at his condescending tone. “I don’t know. Would you consider a rough day not being able to find someone to marry Priscilla and Aaron?”

He didn’t say anything because it sounded like a rhetorical question, plus she was practically daring him to answer. Smart idea on his part, bad decision on Bass’ part to speak up.

“What’s Staypuft and Bridezilla’s problem?” His apathetic tone conveyed the idea that he wasn’t actually interested, but they could see right through it. If he weren’t interested, he wouldn’t have brought it up.

“Since the wedding is in two days there’s no one who can do it on such short notice. Aaron anticipated having more time, but Priscilla is dead set on having it Friday, even without someone official to marry them. Aaron however, doesn’t like that idea so I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day trying to find someone who can conduct the wedding by Friday.”

At the end of her long-winded rambling, she inhaled a deep breath, jumping out of her skin when she heard a booming voice behind her. 

“What’s the problem little lady? Trouble in paradise, anything I can help ya with darlin’?”

“I don’t know Frank, you know anyone who can conduct a wedding ceremony?” Her eyes rolled around on their own accord, sarcasm seeping into her voice as she signaled the barkeep for a drink. When it was placed in front of her, she took a long swig, before placing two fingers on each temple. This damn wedding shit was hard. It was starting to give her a massive headache.

“Hell, I’ll do it. I’ll marry you two.” He didn’t miss a beat, lacing his tone with an upbeat enthusiasm, sounding almost too excited. It wasn’t really shocking; Miles and Bass knew Frank often wrote checks his ass couldn’t cash. Frank marrying them sounded about as good of an idea as asking Miles to do it. But at least Frank had been married once, so maybe he remembered a thing or two.

The real surprise was the way his eyes darted between Charlie and Bass, though neither Miles nor Charlie saw the exchange. Miles was too preoccupied with laughing and Charlie’s eyelids squeezed shut in irritation. She could never tell if Frank was just shitting her or was actually capable of helping.

Bass’ jaw locked, grating his teeth together as he met Frank’s gaze head on. He was the only who saw how Frank’s eyes lit up when he thought they were the ones getting married. He didn’t even know where he got this stupid idea, but he couldn’t help but feel a rough tap against his heart. For a second, there was a part of him that wanted it to be true. “Priscilla and Aaron, Frank. They’re the ones getting married.”

“Hmm,” he marinated in the idea. “Well whatever, I’ll still do it. I’ll marry ‘em off.”

“Frank, are you even qualified to do this?” Miles kinked up one eyebrow, looking at him from the rim of his glass after he stopped laughing. He was having a hard time picturing how this scenario would play out, but none of it was looking too good.

He scoffed, “course I am. About as qualified as the rest of y’all are.”

Charlie’s bowed head lifted upright, lips forming a tight line. “Yeah that’s not saying too much there Frank. I’m not sure that’s helping your case.”

“Ah horse shit,” he chuckled at her brassy, sarcastic statement. She was a Matheson through and through, with a dash of Monroe added for flavor. “It’s not like you have a lot of options. It’s slim pickin’.”

She didn’t say anything knowing full well he was right. There weren’t a whole lot of options, especially not this late in the game. There was her grandfather, but he wasn’t really qualified, not like that mattered in the world they lived in. Anyway he had already opted out.

Technically Frank was the only candidate, and he smiled a shit-eating grin like he knew he had her cornered.

“Okay fine,” she sighed after a few minutes. “But if you show up drunk, mumble the words, forget the words, or fuck this up in any other way, I’ll pick up where that failed assassination attempt left off…Walnut.”

With that she tossed the remaining contents of her glass back, promptly exiting while Frank looked mortified and Miles grinned like an idiot, releasing a bark of laughter. Bass bit the inside of his cheek in order to contain his smile.

“What the hell? Which one of you squealed?”

Miles held up his hands and Bass mimicked the action, looking back and forth between one another. Neither wanted to confess spilling the beans to Charlie. 

Actually, it was more like Bass didn’t want to confess, because he was indeed the culprit who accidentally let it slip one day. Miles had no idea where she had heard it from, but Bass would’ve been his last guess.

Frank crossed his arms over his chest and fussed. “I don’t know which one of you is a worse influence on that girl.”

“Us a bad influence on Charlie? Kid definitely doesn’t need any help in that department.”

Bass couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Frank should’ve probably worried about her being the bad influence on them. 

“Seriously Frank, don’t fuck this up.” Miles blurted, pointing a stern, warning finger in his direction. 

“I don’t even know how I got talked into this,” he grumbled.

“How drunk are you? You were chomping at the bit 10 minutes ago.”

“Yeah, when I thought I was hitching Bass and Charlie.” He said it so nonchalantly, like it made complete sense to think they were the two people in love, getting married.

Bass didn’t say anything, choosing to drown himself in the brown amber sitting before him on the table.

“Why the hell would you think that? I know you’re a little nutty,” he snickered as Frank glowered. He honestly couldn’t resist. His somber expression returned shortly after. “Seriously what would put that idea into your head?”

Frank thought about it for a few minutes before raising one shoulder. “Couldn’t tell ya, guess it was just a feelin’.”

“Yeah well, let’s try to refrain from those types of feelings. I’d rather not imagine Charlie and Bass married…fuck, even together.” He shook his head, pushing his empty glass away. “Well that’s about enough for tonight. I’m leaving before things get weirder.”

He didn’t give Bass anytime to second the motion; he quickly spun on his heels, fleeing like a bat outta hell while Bass was forced to remain seated. At least until he finished his drink, you couldn’t let good alcohol go to waste.

“Well I didn’t think it was such a cockamamie idea.”

Bass scoffed, “Frank buddy, I don’t you’re the best judge when it comes to bad ideas. I seem to recall a lot of bad ones you’ve come up with.” Grabbing the wheel, he veered the conversation in a drastic direction. Hoping to throw him off track and make him forget about the idea of him marrying Charlie. Or for the love of god, he could at least stop yammering on about it. 

He whistled low, “Oh don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

“Of course I haven’t fucking thought about it. She’s my best friend’s niece, half my age, not to mention I’m pretty sure she still hates me for killing half her family.” His body was seething with rage. He didn’t give a damn about the alcohol anymore. There was no way in hell he was going to sit and continue this conversation any more.

Frank shook his head. “Boy if you honestly think she hates you, then you’re dumber than you look.”

Bass remembered similar words spewed out of Charlie’s very pretty little mouth that day in the pool. He had never seen a more stunning woman. Maybe part of her appeal was the fact that she had hunted him down like a prey, intent on doing what Miles could never do, and would’ve succeeded had she not been blasted with rock salt.

Odd fellow that Frank may have been, Bass couldn’t help but reflect on, not only what he said, but also how he said it. In such a definitive tone like it was a concrete fact, and with a helluva lotta heart behind it. 

He had never really thought about the subtle changed that occurred over the course of their time together. All he knew was that one day he found himself looking to Charlie to fight by his side and have his back, and she had never once let him down. One day instead of seeking Miles’ company, he flopped his happy ass onto the barstool closest to Charlie, relieved when conversation effortlessly flowed amongst them.

There’s a fine line between love and hate, and what Charlie felt for him went beyond either of those simple terms, that much Bass was sure of.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! This chapter has a bit more of Frank, he's a really fun character to write and add into the mix, so I hope you enjoyed his presence. (Also I'm not really a loving/sentimental kind of person, nor writer, so I apologize if it's less than fluffy lol)

It wasn’t nearly as bad as Charlie figured it would be to finish up all the plans by the time Friday rolled around. After the first hurdle they had to launch themselves over, everything else seemed to fall into place. 

She still couldn’t help but be worried about Frank. He was a colorful character.

They were lucky Priscilla chose to do it now, seeing as how the ceremony was set to take place outside. The reception was a different story. Charlie had talked to the bar owner Kyle and asked if he’d be willing to let them use it for the reception. It was easy as pie to get him to agree, he had a soft spot for Charlie. Not really in a romantic sense, he just admired her.

Scampering off, she tossed a wave in Kyle’s direction, briskly searching for the location her mother mentioned previously. She had some time and figured it couldn’t hurt to have an extra set of hands before she got dressed and ready.

Immediately she saw a mass of blonde hair reflecting off the sun in the distance, diligently working next to a giant ass wooden looking thing.

When she approached her mother with an inquisitive expression Rachel followed her eyes. “It’s a cuppah, weddings sometimes have them. The two people stand underneath it.”

Perched on the flattest piece of land there, a few trees scattered around it, offering a shadowy shade against the wooden grain. Rachel had no idea where it came from, but it was there for the using, and that’s exactly what she did with it. She had gotten a few yards of tulle from the local cloth maker—who also threw together a simple white dress for Priscilla—and was draping it around the cuppah when Charlie arrived.

All of the budding flowers were in full bloom this time of year, another reason it was a better choice versus waiting for fall. If they had waited the bouquets would’ve had to be made out of dried, dead leaves. 

Rachel interwove a few of the flowers into the tulle, trying to repress the blooming feelings within her own mind about Miles. She couldn’t help but want the same thing for them, though their relationship was much more complicated and rockier than Aaron and Priscilla’s. 

Gathering the chairs Rachel borrowed from the bar earlier this morning, Charlie followed her instructions on how to place them. They didn’t need a lot of them because only family was attending. Most everyone in the town was invited to the wedding reception though.

She placed the chairs a couple inches apart, all in one row, a conscious decision to have no bride’s side or groom’s side, which Charlie didn’t understand anyway. What would happen if they were friends with both the bride and the groom? Then would they just straddle the aisle, or would they have to choose? Or could they spend half the time on one side, and then switch teams? 

None of this made sense, but she stopped trying to understand a while ago.

They adorned the chairs with flowers, tied together with a few left over strips of tulle. Charlie couldn’t help the mesmerizing sparkle in her eye when she stepped back, admiring the view. The sun stitched its skirt low across the sky, illuminating the area without the overpowering rays beaming down on them. It was damn near perfect.

“Why don’t you go see how things are coming with Priscilla and get dressed? Everything is done, and everyone should be here soon?”

Charlie nodded, dusting her hands as the scent of flowers filled the air from where it had seeped into her skin. Her feet didn’t stop until they took her straight into Priscilla’s house and up to her room. Her eyes sought out Priscilla, but instead found a blue dress lying on top of the bed.

She peeled off the dingy clothes plastered to her body, thankful she managed not to get any dirt or grim on her, as she shimmed into the dress. The dress made its journey up the frame of her body before docking at her chest. She attempted to cinch it closed but abandoned all efforts upon hearing a noise. The door briefly creaked, letting out a low howl before opening.

Instinctively Bass turned around, “shit. Sorry, I should’ve knocked. Frank said Priscilla was here. Sent me to make sure Priscilla wasn’t gonna do a Runaway Bride or something like that.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that? What the hell does it even mean?”

Bass snorted, pivoting back around, which proved to be a mistake because the dress straps had fallen during her exasperation, exposing a good chunk of her gorgeous chest to him. Visibly he gulped, hoping Charlie didn’t catch it, and she didn’t seem to because she continued fiddling with the dress.

“It’s a movie reference from before the blackout. This chick is notorious for leaving grooms at the alter and literally running out of the wedding.” He had seen this movie too many times to count, not willingly either.

“That doesn’t really sound like an interesting movie.”

He full on laughed, bellyache and all. Naturally Charlie would be the girl who didn’t really care for romantic comedies, and she hadn’t even seen one. 

“Not my first choice either.” He watched her with one eyebrow raised for a few minutes, trying to contort her arm around in weird positions in order to fasten the back of the dress but her hair kept getting in the way. His feet drifted closer without warning to him or her, stopping right behind her as his breath frosted against her ear. “Here stop, you’re gonna pop your arm outta socket.”

Her breath hitched when his hands ghosted across her shoulder blades, sweeping her hair to one side, fingers trailing down the silky strands. She watched his actions in the mirror; a pensive look bubbled to the surface while his hands fumbled against the hump of her back before securing the dress around her body.

He took that time to subtly ogle at the way the blue highlighted her skin and hair, pairing nicely with the blue undertones in her eyes. It fit like a glove, showcasing every luxurious curve, silhouetting her body. Creeping just slightly above her knee, it was revealing in a demure, innocent way. 

Bass however, had less than innocent thoughts running rampant in his mind.

Realizing his hand was still on her back, he sucked it back in towards his body before clearing his throat. He opened his mouth desperate to change the subject before she mentioned his lingering graze, but as soon as he did Priscilla strolled through the cracked door. 

Charlie was the first to speak up when she saw Priscilla dressed in a lovely shade of white. “You look like a fairytale Priscilla.”

The fabric came up high on her chest and snugly cloaked her body, shimmering even more against the tanned glow of her skin and the ebony black of her hair. It fell right above her feet, rubbing against the side of her ankles as she slipped her shoes on. 

Bass abruptly nodded, reciprocating the sentiment before he ducked out, mumbling something about going to tell Frank.

“Thank you Charlie,” she instantly wrapped her arms around the younger girl. “Now let’s go do this.”

Charlie’s chest rumbled with laughter, shaking her head as she grabbed the bouquet of flowers on their way out. She followed Priscilla down the path to where everyone else was waiting, taking her place in front of the bride, slowly sauntering down the path. 

She made eyes at Miles and her mother briefly, smiling, and absentmindedly her eyes drifted over to where Bass stood. His usual v-neck look was replaced by a loose fitting, button down shirt, cuffed and rolled up on his forearms. He didn’t look awkward or out of place like she imagined. He looked relaxed, content, a face she rarely got to see. She hadn’t realized until now what a beautiful sight it was.

Her face hardened as she looked to Frank, narrowing her eyes as if to give him one last silent warning. She had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to contain her amusement when he blanched.

She had to admit, he came through and executed the whole ceremony flawlessly. Minus the end where he threw in the part about everyone going to get drunk now. Even though that was definitely part of the plan.

Priscilla and Aaron led the way, followed by Charlie and Bass as everyone else brought up the rear. They could worry about everything else later. They spent enough time worrying, planning, and cleaning up messes. Tonight was supposed to be fun and carefree.

Kyle had actually put some effort into decorating the bar, and by decorating Charlie meant it was spotlessly clean and not crammed with clutter. That was more than she expected.

A lot of people from town were already there, anxiously waiting to congratulate Aaron and Priscilla; they were pretty well known and liked. Of course, it was hard not to like them.

Charlie offered small smiles to a few familiar faces she recognized, stopping to leisurely chat, but eventually she got tired. Her ass found a chair towards the side, spotting Bass immediately. Her only goal was to find the one person she knew wouldn’t try to make small talk. Bass always offered a comfortable silence. 

Sinking into the back of her chair, she smiled in appreciation when Miles dropped a drink down in front of her before he plopped down in a seat across the table. 

Greedily gulping it down, she placed it back on the table, mutely listening in on the chatter filling the space. It was nice to see everyone in town having such a good time; it made all the headache and trouble worth it.

Straightening her posture, she couldn’t help her glowing smile as she watched Aaron and Priscilla out there dancing by themselves until others were invited to join in. Music from the instruments swirled around in the air creating a lulling melody as Charlie’s body hummed in appreciation, keeping pace with the tempo. It was hypnotic and hard to tear her gaze from, but as soon as a firm hand cupped her shoulder she had no problem shifting her eyes.

“Alright you two, hope you got your dancin’ shoes on.”

Charlie tilted her head to look at Frank’s grinning face. “Huh?” 

Bass just gritted his teeth, locking his jaw firmly as he rolled his eyes. There wasn’t enough booze in this whole damn town to make him get out there and dance. No way.

“Ah don’t tell me you thought you could get out of dancing. It’s an old wedding tradition. Billie Jean, that was the Missus’ maid of honor, danced with my ol’ buddy Hank—“

“Hank and Frank?” Bass couldn’t help the interruption.

Frank wasn’t fazed one bit. “Granted Billie Jean was drunker than Cooter Brown and ended up doing her dancing from the floor mostly. But still. The best man and the maid of honor always share at least one dance together,” he confidently asserted.

Miles scoffed, “yeah, that was an interesting story and all Frank, but that’s not gonna happen. I’m pretty sure that’s not an actual tradition.”

“Says the man who hasn’t been married.”

“Yeah but I have been to a few weddings, and I was even the best man at my brother’s wedding—“

“And did you dance with the maid of honor?” Frank couldn’t help but stoke the fire, antagonizing him. It was fun to watch him squirm, even more fun when it was for a good cause.

Miles huffed before racking his brain, trying to remember. Shit. That’s right. As soon as Rachel and Ben started dancing, the next thing he knew they were being dragged out onto the dance floor. He couldn’t even remember the girl’s name, but he did remember what an awful dancer she was. At least she was hot.

Frank grinned when he saw the light go off behind Miles’ eyes. “See, there ya go, and it’s bad luck to break from traditions.” 

Rachel chose now to butt in on the conversation. “I don’t really think tradition matters much anymore, considering none of this follows tradition.” Venom laced every one of her words, unaware how bitchy it made her sound, but also not caring. The last thing she wanted was for Monroe to be anywhere near her daughter. She might not have wanted him dead, but that sure as hell didn’t mean it was all water under the bridge.

Charlie let them bicker amongst themselves, enjoying Frank baiting Miles, but as soon as her mother stepped in and tried to control things anger brewed inside her. It was irritating enough the way Miles tried to tell her what to do, but she wasn’t going to let her mother make any choices for her. Out of everyone, she probably made the worst decisions.

“It’s one dance.” Suddenly she rose from her seat, adjusting the dress from where it was bunched up mid thigh. Sliding it back down to hover just above the tops of her knees, she smoothed her hands across the fabric before looking up to Bass. “Come on,” she swept her hand out, motioning towards the makeshift dance floor.

A slight smile spread across his face as he thought about the last time he heard her say those words during the jailbreak in New Vegas. She looked about as damn enticing then as she did now, different kind of fury and passion in her eyes. Sighing he heaved himself up from the seat knowing she wasn’t going to let it go until he gave in. 

Miles slowly crept to his feet, letting out a low groan. “Charlie…I don’t think—“

“Perfect, so if you could not think and be quiet at the same thing, we’d have ourselves a miracle. It’s a dance Miles. Don’t give yourself a heart attack.” She impatiently tapped her foot until Bass strutted over, hesitating as he let her lead them further away from watchful eyes. 

He maintained a safe distance, careful not to appear too anxious nor allow his body to naturally gravitate closer to hers. The last thing he wanted was Rachel barking in his ear. He could already hear her blabbing in the background as they left them in the dust.

Once Charlie had chosen a spot on the floor he stepped closer to her body before taking in the sight of her apprehensive face, gnawing nervously at her lip. He let his arms hang limply by his side. “What, you drag me out here and just change your mind? Were you just trying to piss your mom off?”

Charlie recoiled from force of his harsh words, fire sparking behind her eyes. “No,” she hissed before taking a few calming breaths. “I just don’t know how to dance,” she muttered so faintly under her breath that Bass had to strain, and still couldn’t hear her.

“Good now try at a volume meant for people.”

Her head snapped up, “I don’t know how to dance okay.” She crossed her arms over her chest, raising her chin in defiance, light blush coloring her cheeks. She wasn’t used to not being able to do something, it was a punch to her pride, but that was better than Bass assuming things.

His first instinct was to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, but he could see her embarrassment. Although he didn’t really understand why she would be flustered, it’s not like she had a lot of time before the lights went out to take dance lessons. And why would she have needed to before now.

Extending his hand, he waited as she inspected it like a foreign object she had never seen before. Finally, after what felt like ages, she placed her warm hand in his. The rough, pronounced lines decorating his palms melted into her delicate, creamy hands.

No words were spoken as he placed that hand on his shoulder, suppressing the expansive tingling feeling covering his body. He captured her other dangling hand in his, firmly closing his fingers as hers folded, mimicking his action.

Once he positioned them, he gently pulled her body in towards his, leaving a reasonable amount of space between them as his hand snaked around to rest on her lower back. His fingers splayed out along the curve of her body, causing her to stiffen momentarily.

He could hear her heart thumping against the ribs of her chest, falling into sync with the sounds floating about. He tried it at this distance for a few seconds, knowing that any closer and he would not only be able to hear her heart, but feel it beating against his chest as well. Close proximity with Charlie never sounded like a good idea.

“Fuck it,” he blurted out. It felt like there was a mountain between their rigid bodies. Caving he used the hand on her lower back to tug her closer until she almost collided with his body, all but tripping over her feet. “If we’re gonna dance it’d help if I could actually reach you.”

She was awkward in her movements, feet tumbling over one another every few seconds or so, and the times she wasn’t stepping on her own feet she was drilling holes into the floor.

He let go of her hand long enough to place two fingers under her chin, lifting it so that her face was inline with his. “Don’t watch your feet, just watch me.”

“I can’t dance if I don’t watch my feet.”

“No offense, but you can’t dance regardless.”

A low growl escaped her mouth, but instead of sounding intimidating, it only turned Bass on a little. Fuck. He had to stop thinking about that before she found out exactly how ‘little’ he wasn’t.

She didn’t once let it be known, but she felt his cock twitch ever so slightly, producing a wave of lust within her own body. Nevertheless she didn’t allow her head to droop down, not that it greatly improved her dancing. Her eyes remained staring straight ahead into his. All this position did was permit her to see him cringe instead of just hearing an intake of breath. It was actually more fun this way.

The third time she stomped on one foot he let out a soft yelp, picking his foot off the ground. How in the hell was she so graceful when she fought, but she was like a newborn 3-legged baby deer any time bullets weren’t being flung in her direction? 

A glare was shot his way, to which he snarled. “Excuse me princess but when a person steps on another person’s toes it usually hurts.”

“Yeah well I’m trying the best I can here,” she retorted. “This isn’t as easy as it looks, sorry we can’t all be as skilled as you are.”

Once more, her foot came down to land on his, this time it looked a little more deliberate and intentional. 

Bass’ reflexes were quicker. Swiftly he lifted her feet off the ground, lowering them onto his before he began moving again. “There problem solved.”

“Bass, this looks ridiculous. Just put me back down.” She yanked at her arm a few times, but his grip only tightened as his hand curled into her back, locking her into place.

He ignored her protests and persistent jerks. “I’ll teach you had to dance properly next time, for now I’m just tired of you crushing my toes. I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow as it is.”

The way he said ‘next time’ sent a shiver down the panels of her back, sliding along the groove of her spine. She could feel chill bumps rising all over her skin, a striking contrast to the heat blanketing their intertwined bodies.

She couldn’t help but notice how fluidly he moved them around, making it look as easy as breathing. “Did you dance?”

Cocking one eyebrow, he peered down at her. “Yes Charlotte, I believe that’s what we’re doing right now. Well, what I’m doing anyway.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I meant before the blackout. Did you dance then?”

His mouth morphed into a tight-lipped smile, no words escaping until after a few tense minutes. “Not really, I’ve always been good at dancing. Not because I practiced or did it often. Guess it just came natural.”

“I bet that won you a lot of points with women.”

Bass snorted, hearing what sounded like a hint of resentment or jealousy. He couldn’t tell, but either way it was amusing. “Not that I’ve ever had any problem in that area, but yeah, it definitely didn’t hurt.”

“I doubt I’d be too impressed if this is all you could do.” She teasingly shot at him, grin sliding onto her face. It was just a jab, not a challenge, but no one told Bass that.

Without a second thought he stepped back, letting her feet chastely kiss the floor before gripping her hand tightly. Spinning her around, he was shocked at how fluidly she spun, crashing into his body before he dipped her lowly.

Her heart lurched from the cavity of her chest as soon as she started spinning and didn’t slam back in until she was bowed backwards, hair tickling the ground as her eyes met his. The hand gingerly resting atop his shoulder somehow managed to end up coiled around his frame, latching on to the junction between his shoulder and neck. She could feel his hand on her lower back just grazing the top of her ass, securely holding her in place. It was exciting, invigorating, and not once was she afraid of falling. 

He chuckled at her outright shock, lifting her slowly before placing her upright again. “I told you I could dance. I was just holding back.”

“Guess there’s a lot I don’t know about you.” She meditated in her mind, intensely peering at him until a voice snapped her out of her trance. 

“Got one more dance in ya kid?” Miles jerked his head over to where he was standing.

The corner of her mouth tugged into a smirk as she playfully rolled her eyes but then nodded. “I can spare a few minutes out of my busy schedule, since it’s you. One second,” she angled her body back towards Bass.

Without thinking her arms enveloped Bass’ shoulders in a hug as her cheek gently caressed the rough bark on his face. “Thanks for the dance, Bass.” Planting a soft kiss to his cheek, she moved out of the comfort of his warm embrace before his hand slid down to grasp hers.

Light as a feather, he brought her hand to his lips, gliding them along the smooth surface of her hand. “You’re welcome, Charlotte.”

The way his mouth moved to form her name, slow, sticky, like sap oozing from a tree. It had the same effect on her, rooting her to her spot, compressing them together. 

She had to physically extract herself from his presence, willing her legs to carry her towards Miles as Bass stalked off in the direction of the bar. She tried not to let her eyes follow, but it was habit. She was used to watching his back, although right now it was for different purposes.

He could feel her burning holes into his back as he sat down beside Frank. “You’re a dick you know that?”

A roaring laughter escaped from the prison of his throat. “You can thank me later.”

“I’ll thank you by not telling Miles you’re trying to shove Charlie down my goddamn throat.”

He huffed, “now where in the hell would the fun be in that? Besides I didn’t have to do much shovin’. Hell I didn’t even so much as give a push. That was all you two. If ya did want to thank me though, you could start by lettin’ it slip to Miles that I’m rootin’ for you two.”

He ignored the last half of his statement, there was no ‘them’ to root for. “No way in hell. I’m not starting a bar fight during a wedding. Then Charlie would kick all of our asses.”

“Ah yes, but you of all people would benefit from an agitated Charlie. Just imagine the angry sex that would follow.”

“Shut up Frank.”

From the moment it left Frank’s lips, Bass’ mind started churning as his eyes coasted over to where Charlie gently swayed on the floor in Miles’ arms. He had to admit it sounded appealing, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to risk his life for sex. No matter how great it definitely would’ve been. Plus he wanted to piss off Frank, payback was a bitch.


End file.
